After rejection, company still wants to buy county property

Sunday

Feb 17, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 17, 2013 at 2:45 PM

Chris Lavender / Times-News

GRAHAM — The Alamance County Board of Commissioners would consider another bid by Peak Resources to buy the facility it now leases after the county rejected a previous $2.5 million bid on the property.

The county commissioners said on Feb. 4 they don’t plan to sell the building at 779 Woody Drive. Since then, several commissioners have questioned whether the county should keep or sell the building that’s nearly 40 years old.

Commissioner Tim Sutton said he plans to raise the issue during the board meeting on Monday night. Sutton said Friday he feels uneasy about the board’s decision not to sell the building. The facility has space for 110 skilled nursing beds, which the county also owns.

“I have had serious thoughts about the situation,” Sutton said. “I don’t know what the process is for reopening (the bidding process).”

Sutton said he believes the county administration should be allowed more time to provide the commissioners with options on what could be done with the property and that the board acted in haste during its last meeting when it agreed by unanimous vote not to sell.

Peak Resources Finance Director Todd Nunn said on Friday that he is disappointed the commissioners decided not to sell. Nunn said Peak would continue to lease the building for the next three years and would submit another bid for the county to consider.

“It’s not over,” Nunn said. “We are willing to continue to talk with the county, if the county is open.”

Nunn said Peak had planned to build a new facility on the site if the county had agreed to sell the property. At this time, Nunn said Peak isn’t looking at other potential sites.

Peak Resources provides the county about $400,000 a year in revenue through its current five-year lease agreement. There are three years left on the lease. Peak Resources’ initial bid was to purchase the 110 beds along with the building and seven acres at Woody Drive.

County Manager Craig Honeycutt said on Friday the county would review any new bids presented by Peak. Honeycutt said he had been contacted this week by Peak officials to discuss further options for the property. Any new bids would be presented to the county commissioners for their consideration.

Under the lease agreement, the county has to discuss a potential sale first with Peak Resources before accepting upset bids.

Commissioner David Smith said on Friday he still doesn’t believe the county should sell the building and property including the 110 beds.

“I can’t see any reason for selling it,” Smith said.

Smith said the county’s ownership of the 110 beds is what makes the property valuable. Smith said if Peak decided to leave the site after its lease is over then another company would likely fill the space.

Commissioner Tom Manning said he wants to learn more about the legal issues pertaining to the county’s ownership of the beds and the property. Manning said the county would be open to consider bids for the site, but he wants to better understand how the beds and property are linked legally.

Commissioners Linda Massey and Bill Lashley said they would consider a revised bid from Peak.

The state limits the number of skilled nursing and rehabilitation beds made available in the state to prevent a surplus and isn’t likely to add more beds, Honeycutt said. Nunn said Peak would not build a new facility if beds weren’t available to fill it.